Attorneys for Jason Gonzales say they plan to fight a federal judge’s ruling to dismiss a lawsuit that accused Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan of putting “sham” candidates on the 2016 ballot.

U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly on Friday issued an opinion in favor of Madigan and the other defendants in the case originally filed in August 2016.

Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan continues to flounder in the court of public opinion, taking hit after hit for the ruthless manner in which he exercises his vast power in the state legislature.

“There was a time, not so long ago, when it would have been laughable to suggest Democrats kick Madigan to the curb. That time is over,” Crain’s Chicago Business editorialized last week in the wake of a report decrying the atmosphere of bullying and harassment that pervades the Madigan-run General Assembly.

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, and officials with the Illinois State Board of Elections said Monday they feel confident that positive steps have been taken to ensure the security of the 2020 election in Illinois.

Davis and Sangamon County Clerk Don Gray, who is on the board of advisors to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, visited the state board office and received a briefing on the state’s Cyber Navigator program. They got an example from elections board staff of the type of training given to local county clerks about security, including how to deal with misinformation. An example of such a problem would be if someone made a post on social media that polls were closing early, said Matt Dietrich, spokesman for the board.

In September 2018, three men mysteriously died in the same area of a downstate Illinois prison — in just three days.

Documents obtained by WBEZ paint a picture of how those deaths happened over the course of three days, as Menard Correctional Center staff ignored warning signs and one employee falsified documents. The deaths raise questions about staff accountability, prison transparency and drugs behind bars.

Homes in the region sold for $147,000 on average last month, the highest monthly average price since July 2006, according to Rockford Area Realtors.

The growing sale prices are another indicator of a healthy housing market, the Realtors group says. Boone, Winnebago and Ogle counties haven’t seen prices this high since home values peaked in 2006 before the housing bubble burst and The Great Recession took hold in December 2007.

Fulton County Treasurer Staci Mayall didn’t mince words over how much the closure of the Duck Creek power plant will affect local governments.

The plant, owned by Vistra Energy and slated to close by year’s end, paid almost $2 million in property taxes this year.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday signed legislation to take away another appointment to a local board from Madison County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler.

The law, which goes into effect Jan. 1, mandates that four of Illinois’ five Bi-State Development Board members be appointed by the St. Clair County Board chairman, and one be appointed by the Madison County Board chairman.